Highlighting the obtuse, the slanted and sometimes just plain ignorant writings found in The Gray Lady

Donald Trump’s press conference of Tuesday, 16th August 2017 in the lobby of vainglorious Trump Tower will go down in history as a the moment when an American president – in a fit of fury – showed his true colors.

And Donald Trump’s true colors are those of a resentful, paranoiac man who favors the theology of those who would eradicate any members of the Human Race who are not of pure Aryan blood (something that only exists in the minds of the resentful, paranoiac and outright insane).

Donald Trump in his press conference statements refused to differentiate between those who are willing to kill and murder based on race, and those who go into the streets to battle against this type of sick, criminal behavior.

“There were some fine people there,” Donald Trump stated about the groups of people marching in the night with torches and shouting for the deaths of Jews and blacks and gays.

“Fine people” the President of the United States of America proclaimed them.

Absolutely the statement from the mind of a sick and twisted man.

Donald Trump, as of Tuesday, 15th August 2017, declared himself the leader of the hate-filled Alt-America.

Hell.

Donald Trump is now the Fuhrer of First Reich of the United States of America.

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But let’s not leave on such a negative note:

In times like it seems the nation, and the world, could use the cool, cleansing powers of a fresh rain falling across the globe.

No, cynics. Not that Travis Bickle rain.

We’re thinking of that rain of Petey Townshend’s.

“Only love, Can make it rain, The way the beach is kissed by the sea, Love, reign o’er me, Rain on me, Rain on me.”

Or how about some hopeful words from John Lennon:

“Love, Love, Love. Nothing you can do that can’t be done. Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung. Nothing you can make that that be made. No one you can save that can’t be saved.”

Because back in the 1960’s there were many – like John Lennon – who had hope for the future.

And here in 2017, we need some words and inspiration get beyond this current quagmire we find ourselves in.

America is still the land of hope and promise. A year or two of Trump won’t won’t change that.

If you’re frustrasted – er, frustrated – from reading all the errors in your New York Times stories you’re not alone.

Now the copy editors at the New York Times have been fired. All for the sake of cost cutting and their sudden fascination with “New Media.”

Executive Editor Dean Baquet – the Torquemada of newspaper publishing – thinks that cohesive news stories can be produced without the time-honored position of the copy editor.

Good luck with that, Deano.

It was just last week that Sarah Palin brought legal action against The Times for their sloppy editorial – no doubt written by a twenty-something – that wrongly described Palin’s despicable gunsight campaign ads as directly targeting Rep. Gabby Giffords rather than her district. (The Times had to correct the editorial.)

The New York Times under Dean Baquet has been in a steady slide toward sloppy muck and his wholesale firings of dedicated, vitally important staff members underscores Baquet’s schoolboy joy of dismantling what was once the greatest newspaper in these United States.

Note: And while Baquet makes these supposedly cost-savings moves, the same day’s NYT’s paper reviews a $377,000 Ferrari station wagon made for the average family to drop off the kids to school…

How’s THAT for the good liberal disconnect? Fire the workers then feed the readers their Ferrari fantasies.

Today, 28th June 2017, the most powerful media company in the world, Google, just blew up their news feed.

They instituted a new format that makes mincemeat of any sensible way to digest the world’s latest news events.

From today onward, going to Google’s News webpage will lead readers into an oubliette of oblivion.

Want to be directed to “Highly Cited” stories from The Washington Examiner? That’s where Google will take you. No matter that The Examiner is a nether region right-wing paper-hanger.

Google wants to direct you over to The Washington Times to a “Highly Cited” story on Sarah Palin. Oh, you mean THAT Washington Times that runs in the gutter to promote the most despicable conspiracy theories Vlad Putin is pushing over our borders.

How about The Financial Times? The Japan Times? Associated Press? Mother Jones?

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A Fake News World. Have we have entered that realm?

Google, owned by Alphabet, the world’s second largest internet multi-national conglomerate, has no interest in the truth. It only has interest in profits.

Fox News is still the most viewed news channel in America.

America, without any leaders on the national level, is rapidly sliding toward Third World status.

And media corporations like Google/Alphabet are more than happy to provide the water slide.

Today US President Donald J. Trump attempted to grab attention from the chaos surrounding his administration by telling the news media he would soon make an announcement about so-called “tapes” from the Oval Office.

Donald J. Trump, the elected President of these United States of America, has become unhinged.

The tighter the net grows around Donald Trump, the more dangerous he gets. The tighter the net gets around Donald Trump, the more he will feel compelled to act out.

And the more Trump feels compelled to act out, the more dangerous it is for America – Domestically and internationally.

It was clear to all during the long presidential campaign that Candidate Trump was willing to outright lie to millions of his followers who would eat up his fabrications while those whose job is to keep check on the balance of powers compiled longer and longer lists of Trump’s fabrications and business malfeasance’s.

Now, as Trump’s House of Cards is tumbling down around him, now, America needs its real leaders to stand tall and do the right thing.

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Most Republican members of Congress whose job it is to guard America’s position of respect not only in the world but in the eyes of its own citizens have grossly abdicated their responsibility for no other reason than to coddle that creepy, hardcore 30% Trumpian base, a base that, when push comes to shove, would prefer to see this nation burned to the ground than ever give up their “leader” Trump to, well, what the rest of the world considers reason and logic and good governance.

This supposed 30% base is the sole reason we hear ridiculous defenses and excuses of Trump’s inexcusable behavior.

Here, we would like to specifically point out Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and second in line to The President of the United States of America.

Ryan, after Comey’s blistering testimony yesterday, gave what can only be the most bizarre excuse imaginable for President Trump’s behavior: That Trump was still “learning on the job.”

Yes, Ryan excused the President for lying and obstruction and appointing cabinet members who Trump knew were under FBI investigation because he was just “learning” this job of president.

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, since the appearance of Donald J. Trump, has done nothing but suck onto that presidential shark like a blood-sucking remora, following in his despicable trail and feeding on his poisonous venom in some phantom vision of an America based on Hatred and Lies and Recriminations.

In the face of multiple fact-based reports from US intelligence that the Russian intelligence agency the GRU gained access to a US software company that was contracted with programming election machines in 7 different states, and in the face of Trump and his campaign members and his own son-in-law Jared Kushner attempting to set up direct intelligence communications with the Kremlin – that would be Vladimir Putin – by bypassing US intelligence, Rep. Ryan – the second in line to the president – is STILL defending that president whose entire cabinet is acting in a cohesive manner to somehow…create a defacto power-sharing agreement with Russia?

Yes, we saw the early trailers for “Wonder Woman” and thought we’d be in for a rip-roaring action adventure movie with a female lead.

Not since Luc Besson delivered “Lucy” in 2014 had we seen anything interesting with a female lead.

Of course now with “Wonder Woman” we were dealing with DC Comics and a Comic-Con, boys-with-their-fingers-up-their-noses sensibility.

And sure enough, the Little Boys Club School of Movie-making is on full-blown display in “Wonder Woman.”

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We know. We know. We’ve seen the director’s credit of Patty Jenkins splashed across the screen for “Wonder Woman.” Patty Jenkins, we’re told, is a woman.

Well, just as children are known to be cruel to pets, female directors can be cruel to their female protagonists.

Wonder Woman – Diana Prince -is not her own person. Once the boy – Steve Trevor -enters the picture, the picture becomes all about the boy.

The action follows Steve. The camera follows Steve. Director Jenkins even gives Trevor more prominent positioning within the film frame than Diana. Many times, it’s Diana that’s following Steve as they walk along, a subservient Wonder Woman.

In a British Parliament scene Steve actually shoves Diana out of the room.

Wonder Woman gets pushed out the door by a man? Yes!

Line readings? Trevor has more lines than Diana. Count them.

The film’s action is driven not by Diana but by the men in the film. Diana simply reacts to what the men in the film are doing, whether it’s hero Steve or his acolytic band of merry men.

How is THIS a female empowerment film?

At one point during a WWI battle scene Diana charges out alone onto the battlefield with her shield against hundreds of German troops. Ooops! She gets stuck! With all her superpowers, Wonder Woman gets stuck.

What’s a girl to do? Why, wait for the men to rescue her, like Hero Steve and the troops do here. Wonder Woman gets rescued by the boys. This is not the only example. Diana gets rescued numerous times by Steve and the boys.

Yeah. And this is a female empowerment film.

Did we forget to mention the film was written by some teenage boys? Oh. Well. It was. (Hmm…some editor just whispered in our ear we can’t print that about the screenwriters being teenaged boys, cause it’s not true. But, what the heck, if it seems true, we’ll write it anyway.)

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We saved the worst indignity for last:

The entire thrust of the film was supposed to be Wonder Woman’s “Inner Strength” coming from believing in herself – this was established in the very beginning of the film in scenes when she was a small child learning how to fight.

Flash forward to her Grand Battle Royale with the Evil god Ares. And Diana isn’t doing so good. In fact, she’s losing.

But wait! She finally gains that Inner Strength and belief in herself that all Enlightened, Modern Women seek!

And how is this miracle accomplished?

Wonder Woman gains all her power and becomes whole when – get this, now – little ol’ Steve Trevor tells her that he luvs her wit all his iddy bitty heart.

Yes. A woman cannot be whole unless she has the love of a man.

To use the vernacular of these times – WTF!?

To drive home the point of who the real hero is of this film, at the end Director Jenkins gathers a huge London crowd adoringly around a shrine of the now dead Trevor as the soundtrack soars.

Diana, Wonder Woman, the real hero of the story who killed the evil god of war and ended WWI and brought peace to Earth, our female director Patty Jenkins has her positioned as just a small figure amongst the crowd.

Directed by a woman.

Touted by all as a female empowerment film.

Even more, touted in mass media publications as part of a Grand Movement for Women Everywhere.

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The media was sure Hillary Clinton was going to be the next President of these United States of America.

Just like the media now believes “Wonder Woman” is some conquering feminist hero film movement.

When The Trumpster does his ridiculous riffs about the media it resonates with his ignorant base. We tend to laugh it off.

Yet, there are other distinct narrative angles taken by the media that are in direct contrast to the facts.

Buying into these false media narratives without discernment or logical discourse by those who know better, well…whether it’s Rupert Murdoch’s Right-wing publications in Great Britain or Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr’s ragsheet here in New York, what does it lead to?

Lemmings to the sea.

Or, Trump to the presiden-cy.

PS: It cannot be discounted that the film “Wonder Woman” was largely backed with Chinese funding by Chinese Wanda Pictures and most of its profits will come from overseas. How much influence did the Chinese – who see NO interest in Women’s Rights – have over story content in this, the biggest tentpole film of 2017?

During a public press conference with the president of Columbia President Donald Trump was asked directly by a reporter whether he asked former FBI Director James Comey to stop the Michael Flynn Russian investigation.

Trump, rather than avoiding the question or simply not replying, chose to throw out the verbal rope that just might be fashioned into the noose of his presidency.

He denied, denied, denied.

Or, as many in these United States of America have come to learn over the many months of these debasing Years of Trump: He lied, lied, lied.

Just like President Nixon did in 1973.

And Nixon, less than 1 year later, caught up in a web of lies and obfuscations and massive amounts of facts showing President Nixon was very much a criminal, he was forced to resign before being impeached.

It seems history is repeating itself.

Especially when the office of the President of the United States of America is being occupied by someone who never reads books, including history books.